Thomas Demetrius Spann

Sergeant Thomas Demetrius “Demi” Spann, 53, of Miami, FL, passed away suddenly on August 9, 2021, Monday night, in Manning, South Carolina. Thomas was born July 2, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois USA to Thomas Jefferson Spann and Eula Marie (Blue) Spann. He was raised in a house of love, faith and compassion, always helping the less fortunate, cheering for the underdog. He was always about family, and community. He loved people and people loved him. In fact, he made friends in his childhood that are with him to this day. He played sports at Cole Park in Chicago. He spent summers with family in California and Mississippi where he learned gardening and hunting from his grandparents, aunts and uncles.

EARLY YEARS

From his youth, Thomas (“Demi”) had strong work ethics. He was self-driven and determined to be self-sufficient. His first jobs were helping carry groceries, shoveling snow, cleaning apartments, and selling newspapers at the newsstands.

Demi was raised in a musical family. His father played instruments like the flute, trumpet, and drums. He was also born into a radio broadcasting family, namely WVON (Voice of the Negro), recently operated by Melody Spann-Cooper. These musical and broadcasting seeds planted in Demi blossomed into a flourishing Disc Jockey career which began from seventh grade and throughout high school, military tours of duty to his final days in this plane. Affectionately known as DJ PEACE (Positive Energy And Constant Elevation), Thomas performed masterfully in all genres for all ages, but his favorite was house music — a conscious form of music.

EDUCATION

Thomas believed in life-long learning. He attended Dixon Elementary School in Chicago, Whitney Young High School and Fenger High School. He was quite precocious. He skipped two grades, and graduated at 16 years of age in 1985. He then enlisted in the military where he earned several certifications and, on his own initiative, learned to speak five (5) languages fluently. He then earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Chicago State University, his Master’s in Public Administration from Barry University (Miami, FL), and was in the process of studying for his doctoral degree at Barry University as well. He was a genius.

MILITARY SERVICE

Sergeant Thomas D. Spann, enlisted in the United States Army from Chicago Illinois, in July 1987. His military occupational specialty was a 91B Medical Specialist. Upon completion of Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training, Thomas was assigned to Friedberg, West Germany where he served in the Charlie Company, 54th Forward Support Battalion as a Combat Medic. While assigned within the 54th Support Battalion, Thomas deployed to Kuwait in a combat zone. His tours of duty included the Operation Desert Storm and Operation Provide Comfort (UAE). After being in a combat zone for seven months, Thomas's unit deployed back to Germany. Later Thomas departed Germany and was assigned back within the United States of America. Thomas's last assignment was at Fort Carson, Colorado where, after six years of service, he was honorably discharged.

During his time in the military, Thomas became a Citizen of the World, learning five languages while in Germany, France, and the Middle East. He served as a combat medic. Thomas achieved the rank of Sergeant, E5. He also earned the following awards: Army Achievement Medal, Army Lapel Button, Army Commendation Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Southwest Service Medal with 3rd Bronze Service Star, Combat Medical Badge, M-16 Sharpshooter Badge, and a Hand Grenade Certification.

During his duty, Thomas never forgot his family back home. He would often send them letters and gifts which they cherish over the years. He was truly an OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN.

CIVILIAN LIFE

Professional Experience

After his military service Thomas was employed by several government agencies and community service centers. In Chicago, he worked for TSA, American Hotel Register, American Red Cross, AmericorpsVista, Crane Tech Academy, Woodlawn Community Development Corp., Ida B. Wells Public Housing Youth Outreach Center, Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital and the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Mr. Spann relocated to Florida in 2002 and worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, IRL, and the American Red Cross – Miami. Thomas also served as an educator in the medical sciences at various schools, including Florida Career College. He was a well-respected, highly-regarded and loved employee of the State of Florida where he started working with the Department of Health and was then promoted to a regional supervisor at the Department of Transportation, his final place of professional, unforgettable service.

Community Service

Furthermore, Thomas was very active in mentoring and serving in the community, sharing his knowledge and wisdom through organizations such as the 100 Black Men, and the Urban League - more recently water safety and the Broward County Public School District. He served in several ministries and missions including Salem Baptist Church of Chicago (Rev. James T. Meeks), United Methodist Church (Dr. Kwame Porter), Am I My Brother’s Keeper (Chicago), Hope United Church, and a host of other organizations that mentor youth, build families and uplift the less fortunate. Thomas’s work was so impressive that he was featured in Chicago's Very Own Tv Documentary for his youth anger management program.

DJ PEACE (Positive Energy And Constant Elevation)

Thomas “DJ Peace” Spann has an extensive resume in the disc jockey entertainment world that would take volumes to chronical. Like his father Thomas J. Spann, Sr., DJ Peace was the “go-to” person for musical entertainment. From the days when LPs were carted in crates from venue to venue to the present when music is spun from digital platforms, DJ Peace has delighted audiences around the world more recently he hosted his own radio show on FLEXX FM. He could spin anything from Soukous to Calypso; Salsa to Dance Hall; Polka to Big Band; Reggae to classic Hip-Hop. But his favorite was House Music – a conscious form of music. To learn more about his insights, see a podcast interview with him online at: snschicago.com

FAMILY LIFE AS DEVOTED HUSBAND AND FATHER

In 1996, Thomas married the love of his life, Julia Lewis-Spann in Chicago, Illinois, and had two beautiful children, Israel and Naomi. Thomas cherished his wife Julia, knowing that he could trust her with the most sensitive areas of his life, and grow together with her as they both embarked on academic, professional and community service ventures. He was very supportive of his wife Julia as she pursued her graduate and doctoral studies; he often cooked and handled home chores during crunch time for research papers and publication deadlines. Thomas had her back and she had his when he pursued his doctoral degree as well. On the fun side, they participated in several functions including Carifete, Martin’s Inter-Culture Festival of Life and upon invitation, the 2009 Presidential Inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington, DC. From the outset of their marriage, Thomas and his wife were determined to keep a house of peace, and this they did for over 25 years until God called this Man of God home.

While a good husband, Thomas was most proud of his title “DAD” and was totally involved with his children’s lives. He enrolled them in several sports and extracurricular activities, coaching basketball and refereeing soccer. His daughter Naomi was Female Athlete of the Year in 8th grade, and his son Israel played basketball in college. The children both learned swimming and survival skills through Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. They were also educated in the faith at Gateway Church, AWANA and, more importantly, at home. Thomas did not miss school functions, games or family events. His children never had to question where he was or whether he truly cared for them. He was a great cook. In fact, the children said, “Daddy you cook better than Mommy.”

He leaves to mourn his wife Julia and his children, Israel (22) and Naomi (18); his mother-in-law, Rhona E. Lewis; his brothers Damone Spann and Thomas (Theola) J. Spann, Jr. Sharon (Ernie) Bibbs, Karen Taubert (Greg) Boone and her son Adam Taubert; Nicole (David) Clark and their children Autumn, Ashleigh and Amber; his aunt Rose, Valentine Blue, Herman Taylor, Dexter Taylor, Nena Taylor, Melody Spann-Cooper, Aunt Monique Spann-Bodley, and his cousins Gai A. Spann & Tone Spann, Rita Jack, Rand- Blue Families, Barnett-Raymond-Spann Families, and a host of relatives and friends.

(Positive Energy And Constant Elevation)

A visitation for Thomas will be held Thursday, August 19, 2021 from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Bailey Memorial, 6701 West Commercial Blvd, Tamarac, FL 33319. A visitation will occur Friday, August 20, 2021 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, 6701 West Commercial Blvd, Tamarac, FL 33319. A funeral service will occur Saturday, August 21, 2021 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Gateway Church, 2130 NW 26 Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.baileymemorial.com for the Spann family.